Windseeker Eyrie
Windseeker Eyrie is a previously uncharted island found off the coast of Oceanfell. It was mapped out by explorers from the Kingdom of Polvora. Overview The island has a single, towering peak and is home to the Windseeker Dragons. It is here where these dragons nest and live in there own haven away from competing predators alongside a tribe of humans also known as Windseekers. The Spirit Dragon Feng lives at the very top of the mountain watching over the island's inhabitants as if they were children. The island itself is fairly sparse on resources, but its relative isolation from the more wild, untamed mainland makes it a safe haven. Because most of the landscape gets regularly charred from dragon fire, it is difficult for all but the most hardy of plants to grow. Despite this, there are highly persistent patches of green. Native life *Windseeker Dragon - The Windseeker Dragons, while not considered a race on par with humans as they are unable to speak, are extraordinarily intelligent animals in their own right. They are approximately the size of a horse, and initially have wings that are too small to fly for long periods of time. However, a magic scale from Feng will allow the dragon to soar long distances and over mountains. Windseekers are capable of breathing fire like most dragons. *Land Manatee - A gray, cow-like creature that served as the main food source for the dragons and humans until a plague reduced them to near extinction. Males have large tusks, and often grow nearly as big as their dragon predators. *Eyrie Pangolin - The Eyrie Pangolin is a much smaller creature native to the island. Its hard plated scales protect itself from dragon fire. Culture The native humans have formed bonds with the local Windseeker Dragons, and their rules, while sharing many commonalities with the Ascensores Empire, are still their own separate society. Religion Feng, the Spirit Dragon, is not revered as a god, but instead respected as a father-like figure or guardian. No gods are acknowledged or actively worshiped either. Windseeker lifestyle instead focuses on meditation and becoming attuned to the wind. Those that become skilled in this meditation are able to control the direction of the wind which is absolutely essential in ensuring a safe flight when flying a dragon - to avoid and escape storms in particular. Rite of Passage At the age of 12, one becomes eligible for the rite of passage to adulthood where the Windseekers prepare themselves to ascend the Eyrie itself to retrieve a magical scale from Feng himself. They must do this task alone. The second phase of these trials involves the candidate choosing a dragon to anoint with the magical scale to allow them to soar across the seas. After the candidate chooses the dragon, they must fly the dragon to the mainland and bring back something of value. History Early history Sometime when the evil Yugo lay siege to Shuang, one of the surviving Spirit Dragons named Feng fled to the northeast attempting to leave the continent altogether, but was too exhausted to go any further than a small, uninhabited island just off the western coast. It is here where Feng made his home, trying to hide from Yugo until he disappeared. On the island, Feng discovered the Windseeker Dragons and the native Windseeker tribe of humans. The two had coexisted peacefully for some time until an unexpected plague wiped off the population of Land Manatees which the dragons had relied on for food for so long. However, the Windseekers' wings were too small to fly to the mainland, and thus out of desperation, begun to attack the tribe's own livestock. The hostility escalated until Feng's intervention. He settled the disputes by granting a magical scale to Windseeker dragons whom he deemed worthy. These scales would allow their wings to grow larger in mid-flight so that they could muster the strength to bring food from the main continent. As a result, this led to a reformation of Windseeker culture where the humans and dragons worked together to survive. Polvoran contact Thousands of years later, Polvoran explorers stumbled upon the island and initially believed the Windseekers to be hostile. As such, nearly all of the first explorers were killed except for a boy named Viento, who was captured and taken to the top of the peak. Approximately seven years later, the Polvorans sent another expedition to the island with the intent to wipe out the dragons in retaliation. Even with their superior technology, they were still unsure if they could defeat these dragons. They prepared themselves for massive casualties. However, before the invasion began, the natives chose to negotiate, showing that Viento was integrated into Windseeker culture, and that he could serve as a bridge between the two peoples. When Viento demonstrated how well he could tame these Windseeker Dragons, the Polvorans were eager to learn more about this art to use it to their own advantage. As a result, the initial hostilities eventually turned to a diplomatic, trade agreement. The Polvorans would bring back and breed their own Windseeker dragons back on Khyorgan in exchange for exotic goods and new technologies such as farming techniques. Another benefit is that the wizards of Polvora got a major insight into the wind magic practiced by these Windseekers. Practical applications such as speeding up the time it takes to sail between locations were discovered, but because such an art takes a long time to master, only the most expensive ships have a wind wizard. Category:Articles by User:Krayfish